I cook for my elderly friend to help her out… here’s how you can do it too!
Hello! Today I want to tell you about something I do for an elderly relative. Not because I want to show off, but so that it might help and inspire others to do similar.
Before we get started… let me share our backstory!
I met my neighbour a few months after we moved in at a local church fundraiser. She came over (slowly!) and introduced herself and asked if we lived in the village. When we said we did and told her we were new to the area she instantly guessed which house we lived in and was very kind and told us how much she loved our house. She was warm and friendly and introduced us to lots of her friends and made us feel welcome in the village.
As time went on, we saw her around, mainly at church and when she told me she was having a round of chemotherapy I offered to make her soup. She smiled and said she was fine but I kind of got the feeling she didn’t think I would actually make her soup. Over the next few weeks, I asked her again, would you like me to make some soup so she doesn’t have to cook and eventually she said yes. I asked if she liked tomato & lentil soup, or if she would prefer something different. She said tomato soup would be lovely and I told her I would make it today and slow cook it so it would be ready the following day. She told me she would be at home all day and thanked me.
When I dropped found a big pot of soup, as promised she looked so shocked. I don’t think she really believed it would be made and I had given her enough for around five meals, so she was genuinely really happy.
The next time I saw her, she told me how much she enjoyed it and how helpful it was as by the evening she always runs out of energy and often ends up only having a slice of toast or a instant soup.
Over the next few weeks, I started making slightly bigger batches of soup than we needed, so I could drop her round a little portion or two. I figured if she was going through chemotherapy at 82, it was the least I could do to help. I now drop off food round to her house every few day / every week and I’ve built her up a big of stock in her freezer, so she always has something for dinner, if she needs it.
What to make for an elderly person
All of these can be batch cooked, portioned up easily and freeze well!
- Carrot and coriander soup
- Tomato & lentil soup
- Cream of tomato soup
- Pea & mint soup
- Leek & potato soup
- Very mild vegetable and lentil curries – she can add in her own meat or eat with rice
- Very mild chilli
- Casserole’s are also a great option
- Honey roast ham – if we roast a ham I will take her some slices so she can have a hearty sandwich or eat with some vegetables
- Apple crumble – we have apple trees so I often make her a little crumble when we make a family one.
- Apple & rhubarb crumble – very similar but mixes it up!
I try to make sure the meals are packed full of veggies and protein, and are tasty but never too spicy!
She is doing super well and has plenty of help around the village, as well as nurses and carers who help her.She’s also got her home well organised with extra handles and other mobility aids from the likes of Age Co Mobility. But I always think if I can help out with a little home cooked food, it must be useful for her.
If you have an elderly neighbour or relative who might benefit from a little help like this, I promise it doesn’t take much extra time but it helps them out a lot!
This is a collaboration post.
